living_eberronfandomcom-20200214-history
Belly of the Beast
DM * DM Kuul Players * Atalie d'Orien, human fighter/warlock * Natalie ir'Tinak, changeling/shifter bard * Tamiyah Athéhsa, shifter monk * Amber Colworn, changeling artificer Notable NPCs * Ashib, a large man of uncertain provenance * Xan'shun, a drow druid * Aesuné, a fey lady Introduction At long last, the tickets have come! "Promising riches beyond your wildest dreams!" The pamphlets said when you were given them by a stern-faced Wencove. He then gave you the other paper on his desk, an issue of the Sharn Inquisitive. Sixteen dead in failed expedition to darkest jungle, Dalmorran being sued by the families of the deceased. "It's not our usual job, but.... the PR will be good. You're to head off to Xen'drik and find this 'City of Firebrass', if it exists. Track down the bodies of the expedition, grab as much gold and artifacts as you can carry, and come back alive. Any questions?" The gnome looks over his desk, glasses swinging gently on the braided leather tie to keep them around his neck. Summary The Wayfinders head off to distant Stormreach on the Admiral of the Red Sea. They stop off at Sharktooth rock as the captain negotiates with the Sahuagin dominion in the Thunder Sea, and are off again in no time. They make their way to the Nest, the Wayfinder Foundation outpost in Xen'drik, and talk with the mistress of the tower and get some additional information. They set off into the dark jungles of Xen'drik, aware of the dangers and potential for bodily harm inherent in the hostile jungle. They catch a glimpse of the fabled Obsidian City, but the resident Sulatar aren't too happy about it, and a small party attacks the Wayfinders, slaying Natalie the changeling. The final member of the raiding party surrenders, but Su's steel defender Hiero slays the drow on her command. Panicked, the Wayfinders abandon the mission and seek to return to Stormreach, where they hope to find someone capable of resurrecting her. Unfortunately, the Traveler's Curse works against them, and by the 8th day they have no idea where they are. They come across a drow hermit named Xan'shun who offers to restore Natalie to life... but through the reincarnate spell, not raise dead. ''They accept, and he returns her to life as a swiftstride shifter. He also drops information about the Briar Moon to Tamiyah and Atalie, and Atalie know that the cost of Natalie's ''reincarnate had already been paid for - by Aesuné. After a brief farewell to Xan'shun, they decide to try again on their mission, giving the Obsidian City as wide of berth as they can. They eventually make it to the City of Firebrass, a dilapidated city constructed out of brass and stone. They encounter a trap of fire, and a mysterious figure offers to free them in exchange for a service. Destroy the crystal binding it to this city, and it will release them. They agree (under duress), and the figure reveals itself to be an efreet. He dispels his illusion of a fire trap, and sends them off to the Tower in a nearby plaza. They explore said tower, finding it to be a celestial observatory of sorts, and head down into the basement to destroy the crystal. It's apparently in a Dolurrhan manifest zone, which freaks Natalie and Tamiyah right out (as they've both died before), but they brave their fears and stride forwards. Half of the bodies of the previous expedition are found here, but before they can be recovered, a pair of shades and the Orien heir's dragonmark animates and attacks the group. A short skirmish later, and the phantoms are defeated, and the crystal smashed, releasing the efreet. They return to the surface, and decide to start searching the city to see if they can find any more remains. they find a small group of them in a tunnel, and while they're searching the rest of the city, they come across an old friend of Tamiyah's - Ashib, the mysterious gentleman from Scorched Earth. He chats with them, and provides a safe camp as they explore the rest of the city, in return for an introduction to the rest of the Wayfinder Foundation. He leads them out of the city and through dense jungle, until they are forced to rest and Tamiyah and Atalie notice that he's taken them into Lamannia, which he insists is a shortcut. The next morning, he guides them through a thicket of bushes and emerges in the Wayfinder Arboretum, in Fairhaven, Aundair, thousands of miles away in a single days travel. They walk to the front desk, and Vikan Buristal, one of the Foundation Board Members, takes them into the Lounge to hear their story. Epilogue And they all died happily ever after.